Mount Everest Committee
Encyclopedia
The Mount Everest Committee was a body formed by the Alpine Club
and the Royal Geographical Society
to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition to Mount Everest
and all subsequent British expeditions to climb the mountain until 1947. It was then renamed the Joint Himalayan Committee
; this latter committee organized and financed the successful first ascent
of Mount Everest in 1953.
C. T. Dent, Above the Snow Line, 1885, quoted at http://www.billbuxton.com/everest.pdf writing in 1885, had sketched the idea of an ascent and Dr A. M. Kellas
's study 'A Consideration of the Possibility of Ascending the Loftier Himalaya' of 1916 had asserted that it was certainly possible physiologically – the initiative to form the Mount Everest Committee came from a talk given to the Royal Geographical Society in 1919 by Captain J. B. L. Noel
about his travels in the Everest region, and the discussions that arose out of it.'The idea [of climbing Mount Everest] was resurrected in 1919 when a young adventurer, Captain John Noel, spoke to the RGS about his experiences in the foothills of Mount Everest. In the discussion that followed, several big names such as Younghusband, Freshfield
and Captain Farrar of the Alpine Club supported the idea of an attempt on the summit.' Patrick French, Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, London: Flamingo, 1995, pp. 329–30
In 1920, at the behest of Sir Francis Younghusband (the first Chairman of the Committee), Colonel Charles Howard-Bury – the leader of the 1921 expedition – persuaded Sir Charles Bell
to use his considerable influence with Tibet
an officials to negotiate permission for a passage to Mount Everest from the northern side (the Nepalese approaches from the south were closed to foreign entry). Permission was granted by the Tibetan government for the British to proceed in the following year, 1921.http://www.mountain-portal.co.uk/text/everest/Evrst02.htm Text of The Epic of Mount Everest, Sir Francis Younghusband.
To co-ordinate and finance the reconnaissance expedition, a joint body – the Mount Everest Committee – was formed, composed of high-ranking members of the two interested parties – the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society.
According to Sir Francis Younghusband
:
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
and the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition to Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
and all subsequent British expeditions to climb the mountain until 1947. It was then renamed the Joint Himalayan Committee
Joint Himalayan Committee
The Joint Himalayan Committee was the name given in 1947 to the body that was previously known as the Mount Everest Committee. Like its predecessor, it was composed of high-ranking members of the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society....
; this latter committee organized and financed the successful first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of Mount Everest in 1953.
Formation
Although Mount Everest as a mountaineering objective had been on the horizon of British alpinists for some time – Clinton Thomas DentClinton Thomas Dent
Clinton Thomas Dent FRCS was an English surgeon, author and mountaineer.-Early life:The fourth surviving son of Thomas Dent, he was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.-Alpinism:...
C. T. Dent, Above the Snow Line, 1885, quoted at http://www.billbuxton.com/everest.pdf writing in 1885, had sketched the idea of an ascent and Dr A. M. Kellas
Alexander Mitchell Kellas
Alexander Mitchell Kellas was a Scottish chemist, explorer, and mountaineer known for his studies of high-altitude physiology. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland....
's study 'A Consideration of the Possibility of Ascending the Loftier Himalaya' of 1916 had asserted that it was certainly possible physiologically – the initiative to form the Mount Everest Committee came from a talk given to the Royal Geographical Society in 1919 by Captain J. B. L. Noel
John Baptist Lucius Noel
John Baptist Lucius Noel was a mountaineer and filmmaker best known for his film of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition. His father, Col. Edward Noel , was the younger son of the second earl of Gainsborough...
about his travels in the Everest region, and the discussions that arose out of it.'The idea [of climbing Mount Everest] was resurrected in 1919 when a young adventurer, Captain John Noel, spoke to the RGS about his experiences in the foothills of Mount Everest. In the discussion that followed, several big names such as Younghusband, Freshfield
Douglas Freshfield
Douglas William Freshfield was a British lawyer, mountaineer and author, who edited the Alpine Journal from 1872 to 1880...
and Captain Farrar of the Alpine Club supported the idea of an attempt on the summit.' Patrick French, Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, London: Flamingo, 1995, pp. 329–30
In 1920, at the behest of Sir Francis Younghusband (the first Chairman of the Committee), Colonel Charles Howard-Bury – the leader of the 1921 expedition – persuaded Sir Charles Bell
Charles Alfred Bell
Sir Charles Alfred Bell K.C.I.E. , born in Calcutta, was a British-Indian tibetologist. He was educated at Winchester College. After joining the Indian Civil Service, he was appointed Political Officer in Sikkim in 1908...
to use his considerable influence with Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an officials to negotiate permission for a passage to Mount Everest from the northern side (the Nepalese approaches from the south were closed to foreign entry). Permission was granted by the Tibetan government for the British to proceed in the following year, 1921.http://www.mountain-portal.co.uk/text/everest/Evrst02.htm Text of The Epic of Mount Everest, Sir Francis Younghusband.
To co-ordinate and finance the reconnaissance expedition, a joint body – the Mount Everest Committee – was formed, composed of high-ranking members of the two interested parties – the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society.
According to Sir Francis Younghusband
Francis Younghusband
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer...
:
Original members
- Sir Francis YounghusbandFrancis YounghusbandLieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer...
(Chairman) (President, Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
) - Edward Somers-Cocks (Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
) - Colonel Jacks (Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
) - Professor J. Norman CollieJ. Norman CollieJohn Norman Collie FRS , commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was a British scientist, mountaineer, and explorer.- Life and work :He was born in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, the second of four sons...
(President, Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
) - Captain John Percy FarrarJohn Percy FarrarCaptain John Percy Farrar DSO , also known as Percy Farrar and as J. P. Farrar, was an English soldier and mountaineer. He was President of the Alpine Club from 1917 to 1919 and a member of the Mount Everest Committee.-Family:...
(Ex-president, Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
) - C. F. MeadeCharles Francis MeadeCharles Francis Meade was an English mountaineer and author.-Origins:Born in England , Meade was the only surviving child of the Hon. Sir Robert Henry Meade and Caroline Georgiana Grenfell...
(Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
) - Mr Eaton and Mr Hinks (Honorary Secretaries)
Subsequent members
- Sir William GoodenoughWilliam GoodenoughAdmiral Sir William Edmund Goodenough GCB, MVO was a senior Royal Navy officer of World War I.-Naval career:Goodenough joined the Royal Navy in 1882. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1905...
(Chairman from 1931) (President, Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
)http://www.everestnews.com/history/1925-1950.htm Accessed 17 April 2008 - Sir Percy Cox (Chairman) (President, Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
) http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showPdf?submitPDF=Full+Text+PDF+%28408+KB%29&doi=10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1937.tb02183.x Accessed 17 April 2008 - Robert Wylie Lloyd (Treasurer)http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/nl/50b.html Accessed 17 April 2008